This invention relates to nursery tree removers, and more particularly to nursery tree removers that result in bare root trees rather that the ball and burlap type nursery trees. More particular, this apparatus is inexpensive, lightweight and substantially safer than any other similar type apparatus presently available.
Various types of bare root nursery tree removers as well as the ball and burlap type tree remover are available on the market. However, each of these presently available devices are either extremely expensive, very cumbersome and heavy, and often quite unsafe. In the past, nursery trees were manually removed by shovel and other hand digging devices. However, in this age of automation and the cost of high labor, such manual labor for removing huge numbers of nursery trees for retail sale make the cost of manually removing nursery trees prohibitively expensive.
Many of the presently available machines for removing nursery trees are simply modified existing tractors and the like. For example, the John Deere Company manufactures a nursery tree remover which is substantially their basic small 450 model bulldozer on raised treads. The bulldozer is raised approximately 5 feet above its normal height, and includes a centrally located chute to allow for the passage of trees underneath. Unfortunately, this machine is expensive, top heavy and consequently tends to tilt or tip over. Furthermore, it is substantially impossible for the operator to see the ground and thus carefully remove the small, tender nursery trees. The danger of a bulldozer turning over while being driven by an operator is readily apparent and obvious. In addition to modifying equipment such as a bulldozer, other tractor add-on equipment has been built for purposes of removing bare root nursery trees. In particular, a side operated cutter blade has been built which can be mounted to the side of a tricycle-type tractor. Such a cutter or digger was built and installed by Bauldin and Lawson, Co., McMinnville, Tenn. This type digger which is perhaps the most commonly used in the industry, has difficulties in that it is side mounted. For that reason, as digging takes place, the tractor tends to pull sideways while in use. This causes the driver of the tractor to continuously hold the brakes on the opposite side thereby leaving one tire pulling the tractor, reducing the available pulling power of the tractor and wasting energy. Because of its width, this type device also tends to scrape and scar other surrounding tender nursery trees. Furthermore, this type device becomes almost inoperative in wet and muddy conditions.
In addition to these devices, there are many other devices that have been put on the market as much effort has been devoted to develop a suitable machine. Consequently, a number of patents have issued which relate to such nursery equipment. For example, U.S. patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,111 issued to A. D. Cartwright, Jr. on Jan. 29, 1957; U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,860 issued to F. P. Daniels, Jr. on Dec. 20, 1960; U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,931 issued to K. J. Yost on July 27, 1971; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,099 issued to John E. Stewart on Aug. 31, 1976 all show machinery for removing nursery plants and small trees, shrubbery and the like in such a manner that the removed plants carry with them a large amount of soil for the roots of the trees. Each of these devices uses a cutting means which is forced into the ground surrounding the plant which is to be removed. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,860 patent uses a cylindrical cutter which is simply forced into the ground around the plant to be removed. This patent also includes means by which the cylinder can be opened so it can encircle the plant, and also so that once the plant is removed with its surrounding soil, the surrounding soil can be separated from the cutter so that burlap can be used to surround the roots of the tree and the soil. The U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,111 patent is primarily for use with small shrubs which are only about a foot above the surface of the earth. On the other hand, the U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,860 patent which operates substantially similar to the U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,111 patent is for use in removing small trees and bushes.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,931 patent has some similarity with the patents already discussed, except that it is a very high machine, such that the body of the machine rides over the top of small trees. The apparatus of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,931 patent also includes means out in front of the apparatus for reaching to the tree to be removed. In addition, the cylindrical cutter of the U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,931 patent has a toothed cutting edge which rotates to cut through the earth as it is pushed deep around the roots of the tree. In addition, this device also includes a tap root or bottom root severing line which pulls across the bottom of the cutting cylinder to cut all remaining earth and roots of the tree prior to removal of the plug containing soil and the tree from the earth.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,099 patent also results in a tree being removed from the earth still having a portion of soil still surrounding its roots for purposes of providing a tree which can be prepared as a ball and burlap type plant. However, this device includes a spherical type cutter which is placed around the tree and then uses two semi-spherical cutters which are forced in an arc so that substantially a sphere of soil surrounding the tree roots is produced. The hemispherical cutters cut the roots and the soil and then lifts the entire tree and soil combination out of the earth so that it can be wrapped in burlap for further protection.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,276 issued to J. L. Juhl on May 19, 1970, shows a apparatus using a U-shaped blade which is forced into the earth such that it can scoop a small tree and a portion of soil with it out of the earth so that the soil and tree roots can be bound in burlap. However, the device must lift up each soil and tree combination and set it aside before advancing down a row of trees to remove a second and subsequent member of trees. For each of the devices discussed heretofore, it will be appreciated that unlike the present invention, they are for removing trees or shrubbery or other plants from the earth which still have a portion of soil surrounding the roots such that the tree and the surrounding soil can be covered in a burlap bag for shipping. None of these devices are particularly suitable for quickly removing small nursery trees as bare root trees and consequently, a great deal more time and effort and expense is required for producing trees with a ball and burlap protected root system.
Thus, it will be appreciated although the devices discussed heretofore, are suitable for the removal of plants in a nursery, etc., none of the devices disclose the unique apparatus and combination as disclosed in the present invention.